Second Chances
by Disco Ant
Summary: Sequel to One Life Faltered. Jigen gets the opportunity to fix the wrongs of the past, thinking it better than the current path he is taking in life. Language, drama, and more language. And comedy? How'd that happen?
1. Chapter 1

I have chosen not to read this chapter again, as the story changed three times as I wrote it and it's basically just the beginning and in my mind it is the worst thing I have ever written. xD Not sure when I will be updating this, as life has been busy and it took me almost two months just to write this chapter. Hopefully it will be worth the wait. xP

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Chapter One

Jigen crept down behind on old blown out shack, his breath labored, yet quiet. The front of his body was covered in mud, having crawled on the wet ground to his current location, the pack he wore growing heavier with every inch, his stomach growing sicker with every body he maneuvered around.

His team had been lost long ago, Jigen the lone survivor of an ambush, getting away with only a bullet graze to his left leg.

He closed his eyes tightly, inhaling deeply as the images he knew would never leave him once again appeared. He opened his eyes, the nightmares in his memory disappearing to the nightmare of reality, Jigen finding the hell that surrounded him a small relief.

Breaking the silence of the environment was the faint sounds of footsteps, Jigen tensing as his hands gripped his rifle tighter. Even out of bullets, his weapon was his only means of safety in the foreign land.

The footsteps faded, leaving Jigen alone with the quick thumps of his beating heart. Able to exhale, he did so, his fingers loosening their grip on his rifle. Taking a quick glance around he sprung from his position, turning and running away from the shack, his body freezing when a mud covered woman stood a few yards in front of him.

Jigen raised his rifle, pointing it at the woman. He watched as she lifted her right hand, a boney finger pointing towards him. At that point Jigen pulled the trigger, the woman lifting her head and smirking at the click his gun emitted.

"L-Lori?" Jigen asked, confusion and fear taking over his senses as the woman who resembled his late wife stared at him.

She wheezed, wild eyes staring at him as he slowly made his way towards her.

"Stop," she demanded, her voice filled with anger.

"Lori..." Jigen reached out, touching slightly her upper arm.

The woman let out a loud hiss, grabbing his hand and throwing it away from her. "Don't you dare touch me! Don't you dare!"

Jigen nursed his hand, small cuts on the top of it where the woman's long pointed fingernails dug in. He looked up from his injuries, staring at the woman in sadness.

"You..." the woman said as she began to sob. "You took so much from me! You took my life! My future! But worse than that, you took away..."

Jigen watched in fear as the woman stabbed her hand into her stomach, her fingers clawing around inside of her before she yanked it out, holding a crying baby out for him to see.

"You took away my child!"

xxxxxxxxxx

Jigen woke up screaming. In his panic of trying to escape the vision he managed to roll off the bed, hitting his head on the side table on his way to the floor.

The next few seconds he flailed around, hands he tried to fight away gripping tighter his shoulders.

"Jigen! Hey!" Lupin gave Jigen a good shake, trying to rattle him back to reality.

"Let go of me," Jigen barked as he shoved Lupin away.

Lupin did as he was told, kneeling down and staring at Jigen as he lay on the floor. "You're bleeding," he said in a low and gentle voice.

"As if I care," Jigen mumbled, his breathing a little less heavier as he had almost caught his breath. Using his last bit of strength he managed to push himself up to a sit.

"Well, let me help with-" Lupin's hand was smacked away.

"I'm fine, okay? Just... just leave me the hell alone, Lupin. Please."

Lupin sighed. Feeling unwanted he raised up and walked off in silence, taking one last look back before closing the door to Jigen's room.

"Is everything okay?" Fujiko asked as Lupin crawled back into bed.

"What happened?" Lupin sighed. "He never used to be like this."

Fujiko raised up in bed, placing a gentle hand on Lupin's bare shoulder. "He just needs some time. You know what the doctor said."

"Time?" Lupin said in a raised voice. "How much time does he need? It's been over a year now, Fujiko."

Fujiko stared in concern as she stroked Lupin's arm.

"Everything was fine until that damn... until that damn phone call! Why'd that..." Lupin couldn't finish as he broke down crying, everything he had to put up with catching up to him.

The phone call came late one night, the woman on the other line asking for Jigen. At the time Lupin joked with Fujiko about Jigen having a secret girlfriend. The two had a good laugh about it until they saw Jigen's reaction to the call.

It was from the sister of Anthony Jackson, a soldier Jigen had once served with. The two didn't keep in contact much, but when they did they enjoyed reminiscing on the "good old days" of fighting in China.

Jigen was confused by the call until the woman was finally able to come out and explain how her brother was stabbed and killed in a robbery.

Jigen stared off after she said the words, finally saying 'thank you' and hanging up. He said nothing as he left, Lupin and Fujiko's questions going ignored.

Lupin had caught up to Jigen, entering his room with him and asking him if anything was wrong. What answer he got surprised him.

Jigen wheeled himself to the bed and stared down at it. He then scoffed and looked back at Lupin.

Lupin stared into his friends eyes, seeing a whole range of emotions in them.

"We never asked for any of this," Jigen started, looking back at the bed as he tried to regain control of his emotions. "We got put through hell and for what? Nothing has changed. The war is still going on, people are still dying..."

Lupin was silent as he watched Jigen. He didn't know what to say. He never knew what to say when Jigen got like this.

"Did we do all of this for nothing?" Jigen wondered. "Jackson's dead. Miller's dead. Me and Aberton are fucked up. Garver's living on the streets somewhere. And Hill... I don't know what happened to him. Probably rotting in some jungle somewhere."

"A lot of people have died. But our side is winning, so no one-"

"Does it matter who wins?"

Lupin was silent as he thought about the question.

"Well?" Jigen wondered. "Isn't one side just as bad as the other?"

"No. No, they're not. Why are you even asking this?"

"I saw things... I saw the "good guys" doing horrible things. I got through those days telling myself I wasn't like them and that if there was any kind of justice that they'd end up with knives stabbed in their foreheads. And it seems like every week one of those assholes ends up getting a medal and a parade."

"Are you saying that you were fighting for someone worse than the ones you were fighting against?" Lupin asked in slight anger. "Are you saying that your side was worse than the ones who killed those fighting alongside you?"

Jigen looked up and glared at Lupin. "Yeah, you can say that shit because you weren't there! I was, Lupin! I lived in that hell!"

"And you're going to make sure you still live in it, aren't you?"

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean, huh?"

Lupin glared at Jigen and shook his head. "I don't know, Jigen. Maybe I should just give you my gun again so you can escape this so-called hell you seem to be living in."

Jigen watched in surprise as Lupin walked out, slamming the door as he left.

Lupin had hoped things would change after that night, but nothing changed. It was the same when Jigen learned Miller had died, although then it didn't seem to be that long before Jigen hit rock bottom.

This time, though, Jigen had different symptoms. The only word Lupin could come up with that perfectly described it was "moping".

The moping then changed to something else when Jigen received a letter from Lori's cousin. She wondered how Jigen was holding up and told him light-hearted stories of her and Lori's childhood. The end of the letter consisted of more serious subjects, one of which told Jigen something he had never known about, something Lori had never told him.

"I was so sorry to hear about the miscarriage. Lori was so thrilled when she found out she was pregnant. She couldn't wait to see the look on your face when you got home to the news that you were a father. She kept a smile on her face, though, when she got the bad news. She said she'd try again. She said she wouldn't let one misfortune ruin the wonderful relationship she was in. I was glad that she found someone who treated her as good as you did."

Jigen never mentioned any of this to anyone. To make sure no one, especially Lupin, would find out, he burned the letter. It was bad enough that he knew and he was pretty certain that the others knowing would just make things worse. He was already pissed off over the situation enough as it was.

The three months following, Lupin did his best to ignore his friends temper and attitude, doing what he could to help him out, his offers usually declined.

On the fourth month the two had a huge argument that bordered on full-out violence.

Unable to deal with it any longer Lupin got in touch with Goemon, hoping Goemon would set things straight with Jigen.

Lupin was disappointed, then, when he found out Goemon didn't want to involve himself in their problems. His simple advice was to talk it over, Lupin unable to argue sense into the samurai.

Lupin chose not to talk to Jigen. He chose to ignore him, living his life as if the man didn't exist.

Jigen didn't seemed bothered by this, doing everything by himself, no matter how hard it was and how long it took him.

Hearing him struggling one night, Fujiko knocked on Jigen's door and asked if she could help. A long pause later she got her answer, opening the door and helping the very drunk Jigen get on his bed.

Jigen thanked her, but said nothing else as she left him in the dark room, where he laid in bed and stared off into the darkness.

As the days and weeks passed Fujiko was finding herself helping Jigen more and more, filling Lupin's shoes as an assistant, but not as a friend.

Jigen was thankful for her help, but chose not to get any closer to her than he had before, knowing the two would just argue like they did in the past.

Lupin would watch the two in the background, finally deciding one day to offer his assistance when he saw Fujiko was struggling.

That move would break the ice, but never again was Lupin's and Jigen's friendship ever the same.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, quick-ish update only because half of this chapter was the original first chapter before I changed it, so I didn't have to write as much.

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Chapter Two

"So," Lupin started as he, Fujiko and Jigen sat at the table and ate lunch. "I got a call from Goemon this morning."

"How is he doing?" Fujiko asked, genuinely interested in the well-being of her friend.

"He's okay. Still doing his whole training thing."

"Why was he calling?" she asked, knowing it wasn't like Goemon to call just to say hello.

"An exhibit in Tokyo is showing some items that belonged to his ancestors. He wanted our help in getting it back."

"And he'd be joining us?" Fujiko wondered, the thoughts of going on a job exciting her.

Lupin nodded as he stuffed food in his mouth. "It starts on Friday. He said he'd meet us there."

Jigen finished his meal, setting his fork on the plate and backing away from the table.

"Jigen," Lupin said as he started to leave the room. "Goemon wanted you there, too."

"To do what?" he scoffed. "Hold the door open?"

"Oh, come on, Jigen," Lupin said in irritation. "Just because you're paralyzed doesn't mean you're worthless, so knock it the fuck off!"

"You know what, Lupin," Jigen yelled as he turned and faced him. "I'd like you to live one day of my life and see if you say the same shit! Until that happens, just shut the fuck up!"

"No Jigen, you shut the fuck up," Lupin yelled. "Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, Goemon wanted to see you? Oh yeah, you didn't. You were too damn busy thinking about you! That's all you can think about, isn't it? Every fucking second of every fucking day, it's all about you!"

"Lupin," Fujiko said, trying to stop him but getting nudged away.

"And you know what else?" Lupin had walked up to Jigen, glaring down at him while waving his arms around as he carried on. "We have done nothing but help you since you came here and you have given us no thanks of any kind. None! Instead you just whine and cry like some stupid little bitch! We have done so much for you and I think we deserve a-" Lupin stopped quickly, a pained look on his face as Jigen drove his fist into Lupin's crotch. Lupin then grabbed himself and fell to his knees.

"Damn, that felt pretty good," Jigen said as he stared down at a hurting Lupin.

"Lupin," Fujiko gasped, running up and kneeling down next to him. She then jerked her head up at Jigen, giving him an angry and questioning glare.

Jigen just shrugged and then wheeled himself to his room.

Later that night Jigen was laying in bed, staring at his feet and willing them to move. They never did, but it didn't hurt to try. Plus he didn't have anything better to do with his time.

"What?" he said, turning his head and looking at Fujiko as she entered.

"I brought you dinner," she said, setting a plate of food on the night stand.

Jigen looked at the plate. The food looked and smelled good, but he wasn't going to tell Fujiko that, especially since it was Lupin who had cooked it.

"I thought you'd be mad at me for maiming your boyfriend," he said with no emotion in his voice.

"He'll live," she shrugged, trying not to show her anger at the whole incident.

"Yeah. Well, thanks for the food."

"Sure." She stared at the floor. "Lupin says the plane leaves at noon tomorrow."

"Hmm."

She glanced up at him with an annoyed stare before looking away. With nothing else to say she turned and left the room.

With Fujiko gone Jigen grabbed the plate and started to eat, finishing the food and wanting seconds, but knowing he'd never get them.

Setting the empty plate on the night stand he settled in and closed his eyes, almost to the point of sleep when he felt someone staring at him.

"What?"

"Hey," Lupin said, stepping inside of the room and closing the door. "Um, about what I said earlier. I just wanted to-"

"Don't bother. What's said is said."

"You mean, you're not mad at me?"

"I never said that."

"Oh."

"If you don't mind, I'd like to get some sleep now."

"Yeah," Lupin sighed, walking to the door. He placed his hand on the knob and hesitated. "We're leaving tomorrow."

"Good for you."

Lupin said nothing, just stood by the door.

Jigen let out an annoyed sigh. "If I agree to go will you let me get some sleep?"

A slight smile formed on Lupin's face. "I guess."

"Okay, then goodnight," Jigen said in annoyance.

"Goodnight, Jigen," Lupin said before leaving.

Jigen wasn't sure why the two had come to communicating like they did, but in a way he was glad everything happened how it had.

Early the next morning everyone was up and packing, Fujiko of course packing the most and Lupin complaining as he hauled all of her bags to the car.

Jigen didn't have much, just one bag worth, which he carried to the car by himself.

Lupin then helped Jigen into the front passenger seat before griping about having to find a place to put the wheelchair.

After he got it crammed into the back seat he had to listen to Fujiko complaining about having to somehow fit in the back with the chair.

"When we get on the plane," Lupin said as he started the car, "nobody talks. I don't want to hear anything from either of you."

Jigen rolled his eyes while Fujiko huffed up before starting in on Lupin.

A long car trip later they arrived at the airport, Fujiko forcing her way from the car and stomping off.

"Well, it doesn't look like you'll have a problem with her talking to you," Jigen said as Lupin helped him out and into his chair.

Lupin only sighed. It was one more thing he didn't want to deal with.

Luckily for him the flight was uneventful. He got in several hours of sleep while Jigen daydreamed and Fujiko read.

When the plane landed in Japan there was still no talking. The three grabbed their bags, got a rental car and piled into it in silence.

Lupin had begun to wonder if he took things too far when Jigen spoke.

"Where are we meeting him?"

"At the front of the museum," Lupin answered.

"Hmm." Jigen kept quiet for the rest of the trip.

When Lupin pulled up to the museum Goemon was there, walking down the front steps and towards the car.

Lupin and Fujiko got out and gave him a friendly hug, speaking to him shortly before all got into the car, Goemon taking a seat next to Jigen.

"Hi, Jigen," Goemon smiled, happy to see him after all that time.

"If you're expecting a hug, forget it," Jigen said with a straight face.

"A simple hello would do just fine," Goemon replied.

"Hello."

Lupin rolled his eyes. "You hungry, Goemon?"

"Yeah," he answered.

"Good. So am I." He looked back at him and grinned before driving off.

"So Goemon," Fujiko started as the four were sat down at a table and eating the plates of food in front of them. "What have you been up to? Anything interesting?"

"They are only things interesting to me," he answered. "How have you all been since we last saw each other?"

"Great," Lupin said. "I bought a couple of race horses that have made me a lot of money. I also proposed to Fujiko four times with no luck. I'll wear her down one of these days," he said as he grinned at her.

"Not likely," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Aside from fighting Lupin off, I've been great."

The three then looked at Jigen, who sat silently staring at his plate.

"Jigen," Lupin whispered loudly. "Hey," he whispered even louder.

Jigen blinked and looked up at him. "Huh?"

"Is everything okay?" Goemon asked him.

"Yeah," Jigen said as he looked down at the table. "Everything is wonderful."

Goemon gave him a disapproving stare.

"I would just rather not talk about it, okay?" Jigen said. "I'm just tired, so don't let me ruin your reunion."

"So, why don't you tell us what you've been up to?" Lupin asked, trying to change the down mood.

Goemon stared at Jigen for a few seconds before trying to look happy about being there and answering Lupin's question.

He, Lupin and Fujiko had a nice conversation for the next half hour while they ate, Jigen sometimes listening but otherwise off in his own world.

"Well," Lupin said as he set his chopsticks down. "I say we find a place to stay and tomorrow we can figure out a plan."

The others agreed, finished eating and piled back into the rental car. Fifteen minutes later they had arrived at the hotel, acquired a suite and were busy settling in.

It was as it had once been, Lupin busy kissing and attempting to remove Fujiko's clothes while Fujiko teasingly tried to stop him, Goemon sitting out on the balcony meditating, his mind a thousand miles away.

And as always, Jigen was just there.

It used to be he didn't mind being alone, but ever since that day...

He sighed, closing his eyes tightly, doing all he could to remove those thoughts from his mind.

Opening his eyes he looked towards the couch, to where Lupin still struggled playfully with Fujiko.

"Hey," he said as he watched the two. "I'm going..." He sighed, his presence in the room unnoticed. "Nevermind," he muttered, turning his chair and wheeling himself out the door.

The cool night air felt good on his face as he rode down the empty sidewalks. It was as if he had gone back in time, back to when he'd roam these same streets, walking in the silent night air to get his mind off of other things.

Only now he couldn't walk. And his memories weren't so easily forgotten.

'They said they'd be there for me,' he thought, his anger growing. 'And yet they act as if I'm not even around. They act like the last two years never happened.'

Jigen stopped, letting out a deep breath as he stared down at his lap.

"I wish they hadn't."

He closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply before opening them again.

'But, do I really wish that?' he questioned himself, having a laugh at his expense.

"What is it you really want?" he asked himself as he continued on. "Idiot," he muttered.

He got to the street corner and stopped, staring off in front of him before starting to cross, stopping halfway as a noise grabbed his attention.

A bright light flashed down the street, Jigen closing his eyes and shielding them with his right arm, ready to be hit by whatever it was that was there.

"I think I can answer that for you," a familiar voice said as the light faded.

Jigen exhaled and lowered his arm, staring down the street at the man standing there.

"That is, if you want me to," the man laughed.

"Mamou," Jigen growled, looking up as Mamou approached him.

"Jigen," he said. "Wow, how pathetic and sad you have become," he laughed. "I do hope your pride is still present."

Jigen said nothing, only glared.

"How have your dreams been? Pleasant, I hope."

"Piss off," Jigen muttered as he began to leave, Mamou standing in front of him and blocking his path.

"But I traveled so far to see you, Jigen."

"Oh, well, in that case..." Jigen said dryly with a roll of his eyes.

"You know, your friends are concerned about you. Truly they are. And yet you always seem to find a way to screw that up, don't you."

"I'm finished here," Jigen said, trying to leave and once again stopped.

"Lupin does nothing but care about you, if not to satisfy his own guilty conscious, which I'm sure you never even knew he had." Mamou laughed at this, seeing Jigen was getting annoyed. "Fujiko made an effort to open up to you, yet you continue to treat her as you always have, as if you think she's doing it to somehow profit off your broken life."

"Are you finished?" Jigen asked in anger.

"No, why? Is this boring you?"

Jigen didn't reply as he looked away from Mamou.

"Goemon wishes you two could be closer, kind of like how you and Lupin are. Or were, I should say. And he only blames himself for this not taking place. Yet he doesn't want to throw away his life for someone like yourself."

Jigen scoffed and shook his head.

"And then there was your wife, Lori. She-"

"She was my girlfriend," Jigen said with a slight growl. "And leave her the fuck out of this."

"Girlfriend, yes, that's right." Mamou laughed as he smirked at Jigen. "She would have been your wife had you listened to Lupin and not gone off to play soldier. Funny how these things happen."

"So you traveled here just to fuck with me?"

"You and your primitive vulgarities have nothing to do with me being here."

"Then fuck off. I'm sure the future misses you." Jigen began to move past Mamou, wanting nothing more to do with the man who had already screwed with him in the past.

"Is that what your son would have wanted?"

Jigen stopped and stared in front of him.

"I thought you knew Lori was pregnant, so why are you acting so shocked."

"You son of a bitch," Jigen growled, spinning his chair around and using his arms to push him up and lunge at Mamou.

Mamou sidestepped him and grinned, staring down at the crippled and humiliated man at his feet.

"You screwed up. You made one bad decision after another. But, if you want, I can give it all back to you."

"Shut the hell up," Jigen said in a low voice as he lay defeated on the street.

"See, Jigen, I'm able to see every single path your life could have taken. I've been following you for a very long time. And with each wrong choice you made your future changed until you ended up here, in your lowly state."

"You've been following me?" Jigen scoffed as he lifted his head and glared up at the still grinning man. "You're lying and you know it. You're limited in where you can go. Your bullshit isn't fooling me."

Mamou laughed loudly. "Well, I guess you told me, didn't you?"

Jigen glared at Mamou as he knelt down in front of him.

"I can change the past, Jigen. I can give you everything you want. Your legs, your girlfriend, your old life back. What do you say, Jigen?"

"I say fuck off. I'm not interested in your tricks."

"I wouldn't say this is a trick. It's more like an exchange. I give you what you want and you give me what I want."

"And what is it you want?"

"Lupin."

Jigen narrowed his eyes. "Fuck that. You want Lupin, get him yourself."

Mamou reared his head back and laughed. "You still choose to stick with a man who not so long ago called you a bitch?"

Jigen's eyes widened. "But, how..."

"Still think I'm lying?"

Jigen looked away from Mamou as he tried to figure it all out.

Mamou shrugged and let out a small laugh. "Fine, Jigen, if you're not interested in my generous offer..." He straightened up and turned towards his machine. "But, if you ever change your mind, my offer still stands."

He grinned evilly as he stepped into his machine, the door closing and a bright light filling the street before all went dark again.

* * *

I find it funny how Mamou is my favorite villain since I hate time travel stuff. It's so complicated and it hurts my brain to even think too deeply about it. And for that reason I am not going too much into the time traveling. It is what it will be, I guess.


	3. Chapter 3

Yay for quickly written garbage done out of boredom. And I'm gonna get no sleep and have to cook tomorrow. :D And three annoying women are singing badly on my TV. Evil broads! D:( -flails- Why is this still on? My TV is possessed by evil! Oh my god stupid Hershey's commercial! -hangs myself- I'm sure this is full of badness. I'll fix it later when I feel like reading. xD

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Chapter Three

Jigen stayed out into the late night hours, thinking about his meeting with Mamou. He hated thinking about it, about the deal Mamou made him, but he couldn't stop thinking about it.

'Psychotic fuck is probably stalking my mind,' he thought as he made his way back to the hotel.

When he entered the room Lupin and Goemon were up and talking at the table, both stopping and turning their heads towards him.

"You were out late," Lupin grinned. "Getting drunk at one of your old haunts?"

Mamou's words repeated in Jigen's mind.

_I give you what you want and you give me what I want._

Jigen looked away from Lupin. "Something like that," he muttered.

Lupin and Goemon watched silently as Jigen headed back to his room.

Lupin started to stand to follow him, but stopped halfway as Goemon stood.

"I need to talk to him," Goemon said, staring at Lupin as he sat back down and nodded.

Without knocking Goemon entered Jigen's room and closed the door behind him. "You're not drunk."

"Should I be?" Jigen rolled himself to his bed and was able to get himself on it.

"Why do you keep lying?"

"It's easier that way. Isn't that why you'd lie to us, Goemon? To keep us from pressing more into the truth? And isn't that why you lied to get us out here? Because it was easier than saying why you really wanted us here?"

Goemon pulled back in shock.

"And don't ask how I knew, Goemon. I'm not an idiot. You don't need us to get into a closed museum. I think you're old enough to go out on your own."

Goemon narrowed his eyes. "Then why did you come if you knew?"

"I came so Lupin would leave me the hell alone."

"So what were you really doing tonight?"

"What are you, my father?"

The two glared at each other.

"I was thinking," Jigen said angrily. "And whatever Lupin told you about me while I was gone, it isn't true. So when you go back out there why don't you ask him why he's lying to you."

Goemon said nothing, only turned and left the room.

"Fuck," Jigen said through clenched teeth.

He rubbed his face with both hands before leaning back against the headboard, his eyes staring up at the ceiling.

"So?" Lupin asked as Goemon came back to the table. "How'd it go?"

"He's angrier than I remember," Goemon said as he sat down.

"Yeah," Lupin said with a nervous laugh. "Well, I don't know. I guess I can't really blame him. He's been through a lot."

Goemon said nothing.

"So, are you ready to go?" Lupin asked. "I can give Fujiko a call and we can head over there."

"Fine," Goemon replied, standing and walking towards the door.

Lupin looked on in confusion, shrugging and standing. He grabbed his phone and called Fujiko as he walked to the door and left.

Jigen heard the door close and let out a long sigh.

'What did he mean?' he thought. 'How could he give me back all that I've lost? If I went back in time I'd still be me. I'd still be fucked up and paralyzed.'

He sighed again and looked over at the clock. It was still a couple hours until the sun would rise.

'But if he was telling the truth...'

"Fuck. Am I really...?" He closed his eyes and laughed. "I must be sicker than I thought."

He opened his eyes and stared at the far wall, the smile on his face fading the longer time went on.

"They won't know. This time won't even exist for me anymore. If I did... I wouldn't be around to see what my decision would bring."

As much as he wanted, it was hard for him to believe Mamou's words, the irony of that completely lost on him at that moment.

Out of the three, it was strangely Fujiko who seemed to be the most caring towards him.

Lupin acted like Jigen was just extra weight to lug around. Jigen was sure that he regretted asking for him to stay at his house. Lupin had no patience for his crippled "friend". Even when Jigen wasn't crippled they never got along that well, always fighting over the dumbest things.

Goemon acted cold towards Jigen, as if he were ashamed of him. Did Goemon even want him there? He seemed happier to see Lupin than Jigen and those two never had that great of a relationship.

"And then they leave without me. Some friends. Why'd Lupin even want me to come if he was just going to ignore me? And why did I believe that bullshit of Goemon wanting to see me? "Well, fuck them," he scoffed as he sat up in bed. "I don't need their pity. I don't need their fake bullshit act. I don't need any of it."

He got into his chair and left the suite, memories of the past, of better times, filling his head. He shook them away, told himself none of those things mattered anymore.

Lies were easier to take than the truth.

Leaving the front doors of the hotel he paused, looking back up at the building. One last glance of the life he didn't want. One last glance before everything would change.

Head down, he wheeled himself down the street, not having to get far before a bright light filled the space before him.

"So, is this what you really want?" Mamou asked with a laugh.

Jigen's jaws tightened as he glared at the man.

"Don't hate me," Mamou grinned. "You're the one throwing your friend to the wolves."

"He's... he's not my friend," Jigen muttered. "Not anymore."

"Well, then this makes things so easier, doesn't it," Mamou laughed as he walked up to Jigen. "It'll be over before you know it, Jigen."

Jigen grunted in pain as Mamou slammed an open fist into the back of his neck, Jigen soon passing out, his limp body falling from the chair and onto the street.

A bright flash later the street was empty except for a single abandoned wheelchair.


	4. Chapter 4

Because Intoxicated Gnu said I should work on this. And sadly I had forgotten all about this story. xD  
Had to go back to the other story for reference stuff and line stealing. Man, I wish I could write awesome author's notes like that again. I need to find more of that tea I was drinking...

* * *

Chapter Four

Jigen was laying on his stomach on a cold looking table in a white room. The room was almost empty, save for two doctors inside working on Jigen's spine.

Outside of the room, staring at the procedure through a large window were Mamou and another doctor.

"This man," the doctor said, "How long did you say he was like this?"

"I never gave you a timeframe," Mamou said, glaring at the doctor.

"To keep someone in such bad shape is deplorable," the doctor spat in disgust. "Where did you find him?"

"Let's just say he came from a place that is much more primitive than what we're used to." Mamou gave the man one more glare before walking off down the hallway.

The doctor gave him a confused stare, slowly turning his head back towards the window.

...

Lupin opened the door to the suite, laughing as he held one of the bags he and Fujiko managed to fill while Goemon took what he wanted.

"Wait 'til Jigen sees what we got," he laughed, setting the bag down and starting towards Jigen's room.

Goemon and Fujiko sat down, amused by the nights job.

"I'm telling you, Lupin," Fujiko said as she held up a jeweled crown. "He won't be happy he got left behind."

"He never said he wanted to come," Goemon said.

"Well, then he should have spoken up." She placed the crown on her head and posed. "How do I look?"

"Hmm. It doesn't suit you."

Fujiko shrugged and took it off. "I guess that means I'll just have to sell it. What about this?" she asked as she placed a broach on her jacket.

"Hey, Goemon," Lupin said as he walked back to the living quarters. "Did Jigen say anything to you about going out?"

Goemon gave him a blank stare as he thought. "No. He went to bed when I left. Why?"

"He's not here."

"Are you sure?" Fujiko asked.

"He isn't here, Fujiko." Lupin glared as he plopped down next to her on the couch.

"Ah well," she shrugged. "Maybe he didn't get drunk enough earlier."

"He didn't get drunk before," Goemon said, the others looking at him. "He was completely sober before we left."

Fujiko laughed. "Well, there you go, Lupin." She patted his leg. "I'm sure he's out getting smashed as usual."

"Yeah," Lupin said, staring off in worry.

...

"Is he fixed?" Mamou asked with no concern.

"Yes," the doctor said.

"Good." Mamou pushed the doctor out of his way and headed into the room.

"B-but, he needs to rest," the doctor said as Mamou draped a blanket over Jigen's body and lifted the still unconscious man from the table.

"He'll have plenty of time to rest," Mamou said as he left the room, the doctor following him out.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" the doctor asked.

"What I do with him is none of your concern. I'm not paying you to ask questions."

"Yeah," the doctor sighed.

Mamou carried Jigen to his vehicle, taking him to his home and setting him on the couch. Making some last minute changes to his time machine, Mamou went back and picked Jigen up, carrying him into the machine and closing the door.

He put in the correct settings and activated the machine, a bright light filling the room and the windows rattling. In two seconds the place was still, dark and quiet once again.

In China a battle raged, the side led by the EU and the United States making progress deep into their enemies territory.

From above bombs fell and missiles flew. On the ground men ran and guns and artillary fired.

In a place devoid of soldiers the machine appeared, trees and foliage shaking from the force it created. The door opening, a grinning Mamou dropped Jigen onto the ground.

"Have fun reliving old times," he said with an evil laugh, the door closing and the machine disappearing from the landscape.

Hours would pass before Jigen began to stir, yells of people in the distance getting louder waking him.

"Huh?" He raised his head and looked around, not knowing exactly where he was. A familiar sound from above made him look up, a bomb landing fifty yards away and exploding.

"Shit," he said in a panic as he got up and ran from the other bombs that fell.

Sheltering himself behind a grouping of trees he caught his breath and froze, what he just did hitting him. Starring down at his legs he started to laugh, amazed he could once again use them. His thrilling moment was short lived as he once again had to dodge falling missiles.

...

Lupin sat back on the couch and let out a deep breath. "He should have been back by now."

Fujiko sat down next to him and did her best to comfort the depressed man. "Maybe he just passed out somewhere," she said in a low voice, her words drifting off towards the end.

"Maybe we should go out and look for him," Goemon said as he stood.

Lupin looked up at him and nodded.

The three left the suite, all tired from staying up the night waiting for Jigen's return.

"Hey, look," Fujiko gasped, pointing to a man in an alley. On his head was Jigen's hat, his hands pushing another homeless guy around in Jigen's wheelchair.

"Hey," Lupin said as he walked towards them. "Hey," he yelled, rushing up when they didn't stop and grabbing the hatted man from behind.

"'Ey, man, what're ya doin'," the hatted man said in a drunken slur as he was shoved into the side of the building.

The man in the chair turned to see what was happening and stumbled down the alley.

"Where'd you get the hat and the chair," Lupin asked as he continued to press the man against the wall. "Where?"

"I-I just found them, man. What is this?"

"Where'd you find them?" Lupin growled.

"They were layin' in the middle of the street. I swear."

"What street?"

"Ju-just down the road, at the street lights. They were just sittin' there, so I took them."

Lupin glared at the man and gave one last shove to him before letting go. "I'm taking this," he said, swiping the hat off the man's head.

"Aw, man, I liked that hat," the homeless guy whined before walking off with the wheelchair.

Lupin quickly passed Fujiko and Goemon and stared down the street.

"Lupin?" Fujiko asked. "What is..." She sighed as Lupin ran off.

Lupin ran to the street, fighting against the crowd of people crossing it and standing in the middle of the crosswalk. "Jigen," he said loudly, looking around. "Jigen! Jigen!"

...

Jigen snuck through the forest as the sun began to set, that area seeming somewhat familiar, although it looked much like any other area of the large jungle.

Hearing a vehicle he ducked behind some brush, peaking out from the spaces in between the leaves.

"Wow, how lucky is this?" he muttered, the vehicle and the people in it very familiar to him.

He ran after the vehicle as it drove on, making sure to stay in the thick foliage so as not to be seen.

The vehicle stopped, Jigen ducking down and watching as the five soldiers left and headed out on foot.

"Communication is key, got it?" one of the men said in a gruff voice.

The soldiers set out on their mission, all sneaking forward in the darkness, Jigen keeping up with them.

'I was a little scared here,' he thought. 'And at one point...'

He grinned as one of the men stopped and looked back. The man wasn't too close to the others, far away for something to happen to him and for it to go unnoticed for a few minutes at the most.

Seeing something, the soldier lifted his gun, approaching cautiously as Jigen hid behind some bamboo.

He new the man had night vision goggles, but he also new from using them that they couldn't detect anything behind thick enough foliage.

He kept still and quiet as the man passed him, waiting for the right moment to attack.

The soldier stopped and looked around, catching at the last second Jigen coming towards him, his gun going off as he was tackled.

"Shit," Jigen hissed as he wrestled with the soldier, who stopped in shock as he saw the man he was fighting was an exact replica of himself.

"What the hell?" soldier Jigen said.

Jigen said nothing, not at all disturbed as he grabbed the knife from the soldiers leg sheath and used it to stab the man in the neck.

"Jigen?" a female voice whispered loudly as footsteps slowly approached.

"Uh, it-it's fine," Jigen said. "I'm okay."

He stared down at himself, knife still sticking from the throat and blood gurgling from the mouth.

_'I saw the "good guys" doing horrible things. I got through those days telling myself I wasn't like them...'_

His words came back at him, realizing for the first time that he was exactly like those he wished would die.

'I had to do this,' he thought, fighting with himself. 'I had no damn choice!'

Knowing he was running out of time before one of the soldiers would come and investigate, he began to undress the dead soldier, rushing to put on the dirty and blood stained uniform and accessories that he had once used.

He reached down and grabbed the gun before rushing off.

"You okay?" one of the soldiers asked as they regrouped, still some distance away, in front of an abandoned village.

Jigen nodded. "Guy tried to kill me, but I knifed him," he replied as he stared off.

The others communicated what they saw, Jigen not hearing most of it as he thought back to how he was in this situation and trying to grasp at the realization that he had just killed himself.

'Saves him from a fucked up life,' he thought.

"Jigen and Miller, you two go in and take out the targets," the man with the gruff voice said. "Aberton, watch the southern flank. Jackson, you and me will head in from the north."

Getting their orders they all scattered towards one of the shacks, where silhouettes of people had been spotted.

"Don't shoot them," Jigen told Miller.

"What?" Miller wondered.

"You have your orders," the gruff voiced man told them.

"Come on," Miller said as she ran forward, closer to the shack.

"Don't fucking shoot them," Jigen told her as he crouched down beside her.

"You two have your fucking orders," the gruff voiced man said in a loud voice.

"Damn it, Ames, shut the hell up," Jigen yelled, not caring if he was going against his superior officers order. "There's three women in there tied to chairs. That's why they haven't moved. If you shoot them, you're doing exactly what the enemy wants. Kill them and tomorrow everyone will know that we kill innocent women."

"What?" Miller wondered. "But how do..."

Jigen glared at her. The woman who he let into his life, who in the end had screwed up everything for him, who he felt was also to blame for Lori's death... he couldn't stand that she was right there in front of him.

Miller lifted her gun. "Target are in sight."

"Damn it," Jigen growled in anger, grabbing the gun from her and smashing the butt of it into the side of her face numerous times until she was knocked out and Ames and Jackson were pulling him away, both staring in shock at Miller's bleeding face.

...

Lupin, Fujiko and Goemon had searched the neighborhood for Jigen. Lupin asked many of his contacts who still lived there if they heard anything.

Over a day had passed and they found out nothing.

Goemon told Lupin, who was visibly upset from the event, to go back home and rest, that he'd keep searching.

Lupin, tears in his eyes, shook his head, refusing.

"We can extend our stay in the suite," Fujiko suggested. "Let's go back so you can rest, and once you've gotten your energy back you can search again. Okay?"

Lupin glanced at her for a moment before looking away. He slowly nodded his head.

"I'll continue my search," Goemon said as he walked off.

"It's all my fault," Lupin sighed, staring down at the ground as he and Fujiko walked through the lobby of the hotel.

"Stop blaming yourself, Lupin," Fujiko said, half pleading and half annoyed.

"I should have forced him to come with."

"He's Jigen, Lupin. I doubt even you could have forced him into it. I'm surprised you even got him to come."

"He was tired and I wouldn't let him sleep," he said, laughing slightly as he thought back on it.

The two were quiet as they got on the elevator, the trip to the top floor quick.

"Goemon will find him," Fujiko said, wrapping an arm around Lupin.

Lupin remained silent, the two entering the suite and Lupin heading back to his room.

"Lupin?" Fujiko said as she gave him a confused stare.

"I'm... I'm fine," he sighed. "I just need some sleep, maybe."

"O-okay..." Fujiko watched as he entered his room and closed the door. She then hit the bar, knowing that nice strong drink or two would somewhat calm her nerves.

Lupin fell onto the bed, on his back as his eyes watered, the tears rolling down his cheeks and onto the pillow, some deciding to soak into his hair.

'I caused all of this,' he thought. 'I should have been there for him more than I was. But instead...' He scoffed, sitting up and staring down at his lap, his hands clenching into tight fists.

'Why did I think that way of him? Why did I think of him as an annoyance? Sure, he'd ruin my moods with Fujiko, but I invited him there. He was there because of me! And then I...'

"And now he's gone," he cried. "And I'm sure I'll never get to see him again to tell him how sorry I am. Why did I...?" The question went unsaid as he bowed his head into his hands and cried.

Fujiko sat on the couch and flipped channels. She smiled, thinking back to her drunken times with Lupin as they sat together and laughed at the senile old woman on the home shopping channel.

"Hey Lupin," she called out. "You awake?"

She stood and walked towards his door.

"I know what you need," she said with a grin. "Remember when we'd drink and laugh at stupid things on the TV? Do you want to-"

The silence in the room was broken by a loud gun shot.

Fujiko gasped, rushing forward and opening the door. "No..." She stared down in horror as Lupin laid on the floor, his gun half grasped in his right hand as blood spilled from the wound in his head. "Lupin. Lupin!"

She cried and ran towards him, leaning over him and shaking him while screaming his name and sobbing.

* * *

Bwa ha. Ha. Ha. As I was writing the Jigen death scene what comes on and ruins my mood but a happy cheerful upbeat Final Fantasy song. D: I want Chinese food. I always want Chinese food... -crawls off to bed-


	5. Chapter 5

Forgot about this story. Again. xD  
I wrote this chapter up quickly and haven't re-read the thing to see if I need to change any odd words that aren't used correctly or misspelled or whatever. Rough draft chapter or something, gasp!

* * *

Chapter Five

Three soldiers walked down the hall of cells, most of them empty, but a few filled with servicemen who had caused some kind of trouble.

In one of those cells was Jigen, sitting on the edge of his bed and staring at the floor between his feet.

His hands were still stained with the blood of his other self. His face still had traces of Miller's blood, his clothes containing more of it.

Being back in the battle zone brought back everything he thought he had half forgotten. He couldn't sleep without being plagued by nightmares. He couldn't close his eyes without the visions returning.

He was starting to regret allowing Mamou to "help" him.

'Probably what he planned,' he thought.

"Mister Jigen," one of the soldiers said, the three finally arriving at his cell.

The soldier who spoke was tall, wearing a camouflage uniform and a hat. His body was wide and muscular.

Jigen stood and faced the man, who made him look puny by comparison.

"You're being transported for your trial," the soldier said. he motioned to one of the men behind him, who rushed forward and unlocked the cell door.

Jigen stood still as the soldier approached and placed him in handcuffs.

He said nothing as the two other soldiers led him from the cell and down the hall.

He was put in a van and driven through the night to the main base in Germany. There, he was walked to another cell and locked up.

Jigen knew a trial would end up with him serving years in prison. And that was something he couldn't afford.

'I came back for a reason. Didn't I?' He stared up at the small window and sighed.

He looked towards the door as the faint sounds of footsteps echoes the hall.

'Better now than never...'

The guard made his rounds, his job boring as usual. The jailed individuals were all behaving and quiet. Walking by Jigen's cell, however, wasn't what he normally experienced.

Jigen laid on the floor, his body flailing around in spasms, his eyes rolled in the back of his head and his mouth was open and gasping for breath.

The guard ran to the door and then looked down the hall. "Hey," he yelled. "I need some help over here!"

Another guard ran up as the first had entered the cell. "What happened?" he asked.

"I-I don't know. He was just... freaking out or something."

By this time Jigen's body had calmed down and was laying still on his back.

"Let's get him to the infirmary and have him checked out," the other guard said.

They carried his limp, but stable, body to the infirmary. He was set on a bed and checked out by the doctors.

Tests were done and nothing was found, the doctors deciding to hold him overnight just to be sure.

One of the nurses came to check the machines and take down some numbers. When she left the room was quiet, Jigen opening one of his eyes and looking around.

The guy in the next bed was sound asleep and Jigen knew that unless something happened that the nurses wouldn't be making their next rounds for a while.

He took the blankets off and walked quietly to the bathroom. The room still filled with silence he peaked out the main door and into the hall.

A few soldiers stood and flirted with one of the nurses six doors down to his left. To his right a couple of the other patients milled around.

The nurse was told to check in on one of the patients, so she bid the soldiers farewell and walked off further down the hall.

The soldiers watched as she left, they too then leaving.

The hallway quiet and mostly empty, Jigen left his room.

He wandered around, watching the group of soldiers as one by one they branched off. He followed one he saw as the weakest and cut across another hall.

The soldier walked to the front of the building, stopping when he spotted Jigen crouched down in pain.

"Hey, you okay, sir?" the soldier asked as he rushed towards Jigen and crouched down next to him.

Jigen looked up at the soldier and smirked, quickly knocking the man out and dragging his body to a nearby closet.

When Jigen walked out of the small space he was wearing the soldiers uniform. He pulled the hat down and lowered his head, quickly walking from the building.

Outside it was dark, using that to his advantage as he got inside of one of the base vehicles and drove it towards the front gates.

The man at the front checked the soldiers pass that Jigen gave to him and he was cleared to leave the base.

Jigen drove off, watching in the rear view mirror until he could no longer see the base behind him.

When that happened he was finally able to relax, breathing a sigh of relief as he leaned his head back.

He drove through the night, getting near a small town just as the sun was starting to come up. He ditched the car and walked into town.

The town was quiet and the streets were mostly empty. Sneaking around, he stole some new clothes and changed. Feeling his was now finally free, he made his way to the small bus station the town had.

He asked the man about tickets and fare prices. Having kept the soldiers wallet, he opened it and pulled out the money inside, just having enough for a one way trip to Paris.

...

The bus stopped and Jigen stepped off, the city alive around him. He inhaled the air and smiled.

Getting his bearings, he began to walk.

The trip was long and tiring under the hot sun, but Jigen was finally standing in front of the large gated off property.

Everything was familiar again. Things were starting to get back to normal.

That was until the door he knocked on was opened.

"...Lupin?" Jigen stared at confusion at the man who stared in disinterest at him.

He looked familiar enough, but there was a lot that wasn't right.

The mans hair was shoulder length and tucked behind his ears. His face was rounder and his body seemed fuller than what Jigen had remembered it being. He was shoeless and dressed in a t-shirt and blue jeans with holes in the knees. And whatever odd charm the Lupin that Jigen knew gave off, there was none of that with the man who he stared at.

"Do I know you?" the man asked.

"This... is this the Lupin residence?" Jigen asked a bit slower than he usually would have.

"Yeah. And how'd you get through the gate? My dad leave it open again?"

His dad? It had never occurred to Jigen that he could be staring at Lupin's son. Except that the person in front of him looked too old to be his friend's son.

"You here for my dad?" the man asked. "Come in if you want. He said something about some guy or something."

Jigen stepped inside the house and closed the door, looking around and then seeing the man wandering off.

"Lupin the Third?" he asked.

The man stopped and turned towards him. "Yeah?"

Jigen stared in shock. This really was Lupin he was staring at. "Wow... What the hell happened to you?" he joked.

"Do we know each other?" Lupin wondered.

"You... you really don't know me?"

Lupin continued to stare. "Should I?" he shrugged. He turned and walked to the next room.

Jigen followed and stared at Lupin as he sat back down on the couch and watched TV while shoving potato chips in his mouth.

"Why is this so different when everything else was the same?" Jigen asked quietly.

Lupin looked over at him and held the chip bag up. "Want some?" he offered.

"No thanks," Jigen said.

Lupin shrugged and continued eating them.

"Do you know anybody?" he wondered.

Lupin looked over at him. "I don't leave the house much, so whoever "anybody" is, probably not."

Jigen didn't know what to say. It was like he had the wind knocked out of him, this whole experience on he had never thought of happening. The worst he thought was that Lupin wasn't home. Or that he didn't like in the house anymore.

"Who are you?" Jigen asked out of the blue.

"My lazy degenerate son," a man from behind answered.

Jigen spun around, a man who looked more like the Lupin he knew, but with slightly longer hair and a goatee, pointing a gun at him.

"Who the hell are you?" the man asked.

"Relax, dad," Lupin said as he rolled his eyes. "He's a friend of mine."

"An odd friend to now even know who you are," Lupin II said, glancing from his son to Jigen. "So?"

"Well, I..." Jigen didn't know what to say.

"He's one of my connections, dad," Lupin said, standing and walking towards his dad. "Relax."

Lupin II stared suspiciously at Jigen while slowly lowering his gun. "I'll be keeping an eye on you," he warned while pointing at Jigen.

Jigen relaxed a little as the man walked off. "Thanks."

Lupin shrugged and returned to the couch. "Not a problem. So, who are you and why are you here looking for me?"

Jigen looked down at Lupin and walked to a chair and sat down. "My name is Jigen," he said, feeling it odd to have to introduce himself.

"Hmm, name isn't familiar."

"Yeah," Jigen sighed. "It... I guess it wouldn't be."

"And who is this "anybody" you were wondering if I knew."

"Your other partners..."

Lupin laughed at this. "Partners? Like I'd have partners. Sure you're not thinking about my dad? Sounds more like his style."

"You work alone?"

"Work?" Lupin once again laughed. "Who are you, really? Did my dad hire you to talk me into following in his footsteps or some stupid thing like that?"

"You don't want to be a thief?"

"Why would I want to be that?"

"Oh..." Jigen stared off at the floor.

"So, did my dad hire you? You can tell me."

"No, it's not like that. It's..." Jigen sighed in frustration. "You wouldn't believe me. I should just go." He stood up and started to leave the room.

"No, hey, wait," Lupin called out, getting to his feet and running in front of Jigen, stopping him. "Try me."

"Huh?"

"Try me," Lupin grinned. "Whatever it is that I would never believe, I want to see if you're right."

Jigen just stared at Lupin, who seemed excited at the challenge.

...

Jigen tensed with anger as Lupin continued to laugh. "I really should go," he muttered.

"No, wait," Lupin said, grabbing Jigen's arm. "Sorry. I'm sorry. It's just that this story is so... dumb."

"Dumb?" Jigen asked with a glare.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I'm a world famous thief? And I work with you and some Japanese guy who doesn't know it's the twenty first century? And my other partner is some woman I'm in love with who ends up screwing all of us out of what we steal?"

Jigen was silent.

"I guess you were right. I don't believe it." Lupin's smile slowly faded. "If I were to act like all of this is real, though, that you traveled back into the past and now everything is different... Why?"

"Why what?" Jigen barked.

"You talked like everything was so great between all of us, how we worked together and traveled and how this cop would show up expectedly and... I don't know, you make that life seem fun. So, why would you leave it?"

Jigen bowed his head and wandered over to the couch, sitting down on it. "I left because it wasn't fun. Not anymore."

Lupin seemed concerned and sat down next to him. "What happened?"

Jigen laughed. "Why should I tell you? You don't even believe any of this, so why would you care about just some other lie?"

"Because..." Lupin stared off with a serious look in his eyes. "My dad said he ran into some crazy scientist named Mamou."

Jigen stared in shock at Lupin.

"It doesn't mean you aren't making all of this up, but that part, that there is a guy named Mamou, I believe that part of your story."

Jigen sat back and sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. "I got called up to fight in the war. And while in training I met this woman I used to know. And by the time everything was over I was paralyzed and fucked up and she was dead. And I just wanted my damn life back again." He stared at the floor and shrugged.

"You were paralyzed? Wow... And traveling to the past fixed that?"

Jigen shook his head. "Doctors in the future did."

"Wow, the future sounds pretty amazing if doctors can cure paralysis."

"I guess," Jigen shrugged.

Lupin stared at Jigen and smiled. He stood and walked up to him, extending his right hand outwards.

Jigen stared at his hand and then up at Lupin, wondering what he was doing.

"Jigen? Hi, I'm Lupin. Welcome to my organization."

Jigen was surprised by this, but finally smiled and stood, shaking Lupin's hand.

* * *

Haha for cheesy endings to chapters. :D And yay for lazy slacker Lupin who isn't a twig. And in another year this'll update with "I forgot about this story, arg!" at the beginning. LOL!


	6. Chapter 6

Hey, look, I updated this thing. :O Haha, this story keeps getting overlooked in my folder, as years and years ago I wrote a story with a similar title and everytime I see the file I wonder why it is in with my fanfics.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Lupin stood and stared at himself in the mirror, the look on his face one of great displeasure. "Are you sure I dressed like this?"

Jigen sat behind him on the edge of the bed and grinned. "Yeah. Well, I'm not sure I ever saw you with a blue tie, but the red blazer is right."

"I look like a freak," Lupin said as he tugged at the jacket, trying to get comfortable in it.

"Yeah, you do," Jigen laughed. "At least in this time period you admit it."

"What about my hair? What was that like?"

"It was short."

"Like my dad's?"

"Shorter."

"Aw, man," Lupin sighed. "What the hell was wrong with me?"

Jigen grinned. "Nobody knew. We just put up with it."

"So, where are we going again?"

"Just some small bank downtown," Jigen said as he stood. "Nothing big."

"But it's night. Banks aren't open this late."

"That's kind of the point," Jigen grinned. "Sneak in, get the money, sneak out."

"Wouldn't it be easier to wait until morning and hold the place up? We could just walk through the doors that way."

"And what's fun about that?"

Lupin shrugged. "What's so fun about robbing some place?"

Jigen could only laugh. "Hey, you have your gun with you?"

"Gun?"

Jigen groaned. "Don't tell me you don't have a gun."

Lupin shrugged. "My dad has some he keeps in the safe, but I've never used them."

"What do you do all day?"

"Watch movies and eat," Lupin said, as if it was a well known fact.

"You told your dad I was your connection."

"Yeah, a connection to get me pot. What did you think I was talking about?"

"I... I don't know. I guess I just..."

Lupin laughed. "Wait, you thought I meant that kind of connection? Like underworld type stuff? People to tell me who is where and what's coming into the docks at midnight?"

"I was kind of hoping..." Jigen muttered.

"You're weird, you know that?" Lupin said while patting Jigen on the back. "Come on, let's go get some guns or something and rob a bank."

Jigen watched as Lupin walked off.

...

Jigen led the way towards the small two storied building that served as that neighborhoods local bank.

Lupin watched silently as Jigen scoped the place out.

Jigen grabbed a crow bar and pried the lock off the electrical outlet at the back of the building while Lupin kept watch. Pulling out a pair of wire clippers Jigen cut the three wires that ran power to the alarm system.

Lupin turned as Jigen closed the panel. "We good?"

"Yeah, let's go."

Lupin nodded and followed Jigen to the back door. Not knowing anything about the trade, he could only watch as Jigen picked the lock on the door and opened it.

Jigen turned to him and nodded, watching as Lupin walked by him and into the bank.

"Now where?" Lupin whispered.

"The safe," Jigen answered, leading the way towards the back rooms.

Lupin stuck his hands in his pockets and wandered slowly after him as he glanced around the darkened building.

By the time Lupin entered the room Jigen was knelt down in front of the safe door, a small flashlight in his mouth as he stared at the locking mechanism.

"Get it open, yet?" Lupin asked.

Jigen removed the flashlight and turned, looking up at Lupin. "You were the safe cracker. I just stood back and watched."

"Well, I hope you took notes, because I have no idea about this stuff."

"Obviously," Jigen sighed, things not turning out how he had hoped they would.

Lupin leaned up against the wall as Jigen fiddled with the lock. "Is it open?"

"No."

"How about now?"

"No," Jigen said a little louder, his muscles beginning to tense.

"Ah well, you can't always get these things on the first try," Lupin shrugged.

Jigen stood and shined the light into Lupin's face. "Why don't we just forget this, okay?"

"Giving up already?" Lupin grinned. "I thought you were some great thief or something."

"No, you were the great thief."

"So, what'd you do, then? Nothing?"

"I saved your ass," Jigen growled. "Because you were always doing something stupid!"

"You mean like breaking into a bank when you can't even open the safe?" Lupin teased.

"Yes, exactly like that!" Jigen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Let's just get out of here and we can go to a bar or something."

"A bar?" Lupin wondered unhappily. "You mean I'm supposed to be a drunk, too?"

"You don't drink?"

"Sodas. Do bars serve those?"

Jigen could only sigh in defeat. Why had he even bothered to make things like they once were? And why was continuing that life so important to him? He opened his mouth to say something when Lupin began to laugh.

"Come on!" Lupin gave a hard slap to Jigen's back. "I'm kidding! Of course I drink. What am I? Ten?"

Jigen stared at Lupin before cracking a smile. "Oh. Oh," he said, laughing.

"Actually, I've been drinking since I was ten, so I guess that question doesn't really make sense," Lupin said while staring off in thought.

Jigen laughed and shook his head. "Let's just go and-"

"Freeze," a man yelled out.

Jigen and Lupin turned, both finding a bright light being shined into their faces.

"Hands up where I can see them," the man yelled.

"What do we do now?" Lupin wondered as he began to panic as the officer before them held the two at gunpoint.

Jigen glared at the cop and reached behind him, grabbing the gun he had selected from the safe. It was smaller and lighter than what he was accustomed to, but it was still a gun.

Lupin watched as Jigen whipped the gun out and shot twice, the first shot hitting the flashlight and the second hitting the gun, both items falling to the floor.

"Come on," Jigen yelled as he ran.

Lupin stared at the officer for a second before turning and running off.

...

"Wow, what the hell was that?" Lupin laughed as he and Jigen sat at a bar and had a few drinks.

"That was me saving your ass," Jigen answered before taking a long drink. "Again," he said as he set his glass down.

"My ass?" Lupin laughed. "Hey, you were in the same situation I was in, so don't you mean both our asses?"

"Not really. I could have just shot the gun out of his hand and run. What would you have done?"

Lupin stared down at his glass and shrugged. "Get arrested? Have my dad bail me out?"

"Done this before?" Jigen grinned.

Lupin laughed nervously. "Kind of."

The two were silent as they finished their drinks.

"So..." Lupin glanced up at Jigen. "That thing you did, shooting the flashlight and gun..."

"Yeah?"

"That's what you do?"

Jigen nodded. "I shoot stuff, yeah."

"So, you shoot stuff and I steal stuff. What does that Japanese guy that you mentioned do?"

"Goemon."

"Yeah, him. What's his thing?"

"He's a samurai. And he has a sword that slices pretty much anything."

"And only he can use the sword?"

"Anyone can use it. People have tried to kill him to get that sword."

"Oh." Lupin stared down at the table, trying to figure everything out. "Does the sword have a name? Maybe I've heard of it."

"Zantetsuken. Supposed to be legendary or something."

Lupin thought for a second and then shrugged. "Never heard of it."

Jigen gave a half shrug. "Maybe it doesn't exist here."

"Or it's never been found. Or it's called something else. Or-"

"Look, Lupin," Jigen sighed as he pushed his glass away from him. "Just forget it, okay? You should just go on with your life and I'll go on with mine. We'll be better off that way."

"You're giving up?" Lupin asked in disbelief. "Because I'm not up to your standards?" He sat back and glared at Jigen. "Because I'm not my dad?"

"It has nothing to do with that," Jigen said in anger. "I was wrong to come here, okay? Let's just say we did and don't and-"

"Lupin," a woman called out. "There you are."

The two turned as the brunette walked towards them.

"Fujiko?!" Jigen said in shock.

"Fujiko," Lupin called out happily as he stood and waited for her to get to him. He then looked at Jigen as Jigen looked at him.

"You know her?" the two asked at the same time.

Fujiko got to the table and hugged Lupin, kissing him on the cheek.

Lupin didn't react, he and Jigen continuing to stare at each other.

...

The two rode with Fujiko back to Lupin's place, Lupin busy talking to Fujiko while Jigen sat quietly in the back seat.

"You did what?" Fujiko growled as Lupin told her of their adventure.

"Me and Jigen went to rob a bank," Lupin said with a nervous grin. "It was... interesting."

"Are you insane?" she yelled. "You could have been killed!"

'Is she actually concerned?' Jigen wondered as he watched the two.

"But I wasn't," Lupin said excitedly. "You see, Jigen shoots stuff. So there's no way I could have been killed."

"Oh, I see." She glared into the rear view mirror at Jigen, who only stared at her. "And your new friend, this was his idea?"

"Yeah. Well, it was a little of both, but mainly his idea." Lupin chuckled.

"So, Mister I Shoot Stuff," Fujiko said as she stared at Jigen's reflection. "Why haven't I ever seen you around before?"

"Because I-" Jigen started.

"Because we just met," Lupin said, cutting Jigen off. "Well, I just met him. But he's known me for years. Or at least a version of me."

"A version of you?" Fujiko wondered, not amused by this.

"But hey," Lupin said as he turned and looked back at Jigen. "How do you know Fujiko? Does she exist in your world, too?"

"His world?" Fujiko, exasperated by what she did not understand, slammed on the brakes, stopping the car in the middle of an empty street. "What the hell are you talking about, Lupin?"

"Jigen is from the future," he answered matter-of-factly. "So?" he asked Jigen.

Fujiko looked from Lupin and then back to Jigen.

Jigen glanced at both of them before staring out the window. "Fujiko is your other partner."

"Wait, the one who stole what we stole?" Lupin wondered.

"That's the one," Jigen sighed.

"What did I steal?" Fujiko asked. "And why would I steal anything? And why would you steal anything?" She looked over at Lupin.

Lupin shrugged. "I'm a famous thief in Jigen's world."

"Okay, you know what?" Fujiko glared at Jigen, having had enough of this. "I don't know who you are, but I'd like it if you just left. Just... go wherever it is you came from. Whatever drug-addled alley you crawled out of, go back and leave me and my fiance alone, before you get him killed!"

"Fiance?" Jigen said in shock.

"Fujiko," Lupin whined. "Please let him stay, I had fun tonight. And I got out of the house for once. And I'm kind of liking these clothes. Sort of."

"Lupin, please," Fujiko said as she stared into his eyes. "I don't want you doing this sort of thing. I don't want you to turn into your dad."

"But, if Jigen teaches me how to steal stuff then I can get you whatever you want. And I could go to the jewelry store and get you that ring you keep staring at. And-"

"Lupin, I don't want any of that stuff. I want you. And I can't have you if you go off and get yourself shot."

"I won't get shot," Lupin said with a smile. "I promise."

"You better not," Fujiko said.

Jigen watched as the two leaned forward and kissed. 'She isn't a conniving greedy bitch,' he thought. 'This is bizarre...'

Jigen was beginning to wonder. If Lupin was just some broke lazy couch potato hermit and Fujiko was a caring human being who seemed to love Lupin for who he was, then what was Goemon like?

Thinking more about it, he wasn't so sure he even wanted to know.

* * *

I'm tempted to make Goemon so many ridiculous things. xD I should just keep him the same, as he isn't cool enough to have an awesome alter lifestyle. Keep him a samurai and Jigen is all shocked that he hasn't changed. Until he speaks and Jigen finds out Goemon is really Swedish or something. Or he's a woman. Although that wouldn't really be so different than what he normally is...


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Jigen couldn't take it. He had to get out of the house.

The way Fujiko was all over Lupin, the way she talked to him, kissed him, looked at him...

Jigen was just sure she was using him for something. Maybe by marrying him she could get all of his family riches. Or she could weasel gold and jewelry from him until she was satisfied and then dump him like the cold-hearted bitch she was.

'She can't be different,' he thought as he glared at the two on the other side of the room. 'Not her. If anyone would be the same it'd be her. No way she could be anyone other than herself.'

"Oh, Lupin," Fujiko moaned into his ear as she sat on his lap.

"Yes?" Lupin asked, stopping long enough to utter the word before returning to kissing her neck.

"Let's go to your room. Somewhere more private."

"Sure." Lupin didn't seem overly excited at this. Happy, but not ecstatic as he would have been in Jigen's world.

Jigen gave Fujiko a hard look as she led Lupin out of the room. "Hey, Lupin," he said as he stood. "I'm going out."

"Yeah, sure," Lupin said from the hallway. "You know the code to the gate, so let yourself in when you're ready to come back."

Jigen walked quickly to the front door and left the house before the sounds of love making could begin.

Usually Jigen would have hit the first bar he saw and gotten as drunk as they would allow him before he shuffled off somewhere to sleep. And this would have been especially true with the experiences he had the last couple of days.

But instead of all that, he found himself walking aimlessly, his eyes staring down at the ground before him as he tried to figure out what to do with himself.

'I wanted things to be different,' he thought. 'I guess I can't be disappointed so far, but...' He stopped and stared up at the moonless sky.

The more he stared the angrier he got. 'He's enjoying this, I know he is. That bastard...'

"Mamou," he yelled. "Mamou! I know you're there!"

"Shut up," a man yelled before slamming his window closed.

"We're trying to sleep over here," another man yelled.

Jigen glared in the direction of the irate voices, then looked around him and sighed.

"Mamou?" a voice asked.

Jigen gasped and spun around, Lupin standing next to an old sports car and staring at him. "Lupin. What are you doing here?"

"It's late." Lupin closed the drivers side door and walked towards him. "You hadn't come back and I started to get worried."

"Where's Fujiko?"

"She's sleeping. Why?"

"No... no reason."

"Oh." There was a long awkward pause. "So, you're looking for Mamou?"

"I guess," Jigen sighed.

"The one from your time, right? Since you said he has a time machine and everything..."

"You think I'm crazy, don't you?" Jigen glared at Lupin, who stared down at his feet.

Lupin shrugged. "Me and Fujiko were kinda talking about it and-"

"God, I knew it," Jigen said angrily.

"Knew what?" Lupin wondered, looking up at Jigen.

"Fujiko! I knew she was still the same back-stabbing bitch she always was!"

"Hey, that's my girlfriend you're talking about!"

"And exactly why is she you're girlfriend? What does she want from you? Your money?"

"What money?" Lupin asked in anger. "I don't have any money, Jigen!"

"Yeah, right," Jigen laughed. "So you're telling me that your family is poor?"

"No, my family is rich. I'm the one who's poor."

"And one day you'll inherit everything, so then you'll be rich."

"Says who?" Lupin scoffed. "My stupid grandpa removed me from his will because I didn't want to follow in his footsteps. And my dad is leaving everything to my brother, who hates me."

"You don't have a brother," Jigen muttered in annoyance.

"This isn't your world, Jigen! Everything is different here! I'm not famous and I'm not rich, okay? I'm just some worthless loser, like my family says I am!"

Jigen stared in surprise at Lupin, ready to say something when a bright light filled the streets.

He and Lupin shielded their eyes, lowering their arms when the light faded.

"Mamou," Jigen said as he glared at the man.

"Mamou," Lupin mumbled as he stared in shock at the man and his machine.

Mamou walked up to Lupin, staring at him for a moment before laughing. He turned away from the stunned man and walked towards Jigen. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"I want to go back," Jigen said.

Mamou laughed. "That wasn't part of our deal, Jigen."

"Fuck your deal! I want to go back!"

"And leave all of this?" Mamou smirked.

"Hey," Lupin said as he stared at Mamou.

Mamou glanced back at him.

"If you really are some time traveller and if Jigen really is from some other dimension or whatever..."

"Yes?" Mamou said impatiently as he glared at the man.

"Give me proof that this isn't some sort of trick. Travel back to Jigen's time and show me that this is all real."

Mamou sighed, a bit put out by the request. "Fine," he growled.

"Wait," Jigen called out as Mamou walked back to his machine.

Mamou ignored him and with a bright flash of light he was gone.

The two didn't have to wait long until the machine returned, the door opening and an annoyed Mamou thrusting a paper into Lupin's chest.

Lupin stared at the paper, the words printed in French staring back at him. He read the headline and then stared in disbelief at Mamou, who seemed to enjoy the man's reaction. "Is... is this some sort of sick joke?" Lupin asked in slight anger.

Jigen stood quietly as he wondered what Lupin had read.

"It says I'm dead," Lupin growled as he glared at Mamou.

"What?" Jigen walked up and grabbed the paper from Lupin's hands. "What the hell did you do to him?" he yelled at Mamou.

Mamou laughed. "I did nothing to him. He did it all by himself."

"Suicide?" Jigen muttered as he scanned the article.

"And why would you care, Jigen?" Mamou wondered. "You were the one who abandoned him. Exchanging your ex-freinds life for your freedom. Isn't that what you wanted?" Mamou reared his head back and laughed.

"Ex-friend?" Lupin wondered as he stared at Jigen. "So, you lied to me? All that crap about me and you being best friends? Why? So you can get close to me in my time and kill me just like you did the other me?"

"I... I didn't kill him, okay?" Jigen said in annoyance. "I just..."

"You left him," Mamou grinned. "And he knew he'd never see you again. And all the guilt he held inside came out and was taken care of by a single bullet to the brain."

Jigen stared down at the pavement in shock.

"So, even if I did take you back, what would you have to go back to? They all hate you now. You killed their friend. Goemon and Fujiko and even Zenigata have vowed to hunt you down and kill you for what you've done." He stared at Jigen with a pleasing look on his face.

"I didn't kill anyone," Jigen yelled.

"It's like Lori all over again, isn't it, Jigen," Mamou laughed.

"Shut up," Jigen screamed, his body tense and tears forming in his eyes. "Shut the hell up!"

"Two people you loved dead, but hey, at least you can walk again."

"You bastard," Jigen yelled, lunging towards Mamou.

Mamou laughed as he dodged the man who was too filled with rage to think straight.

Jigen, tripped by one of Mamou's feet, fell to the ground.

Lupin stared at him as he was on his hands and knees, his head down as he sobbed quietly.

"Pathetic," Mamou mocked. "Even your child didn't want to be around you, choosing to die instead of even seeing your face," he said before laughing loudly.

His laugh was silenced by a hard punch to the face, the assaulting fist belonging to Lupin, who stared in anger at the disturbed Mamou.

"Get out of here," Lupin said through clenched teeth.

Mamou stood up straight, rubbing the side of his face as he smirked at Lupin.

"Leave," Lupin yelled. "Get in your stupid looking machine and leave us the hell alone!"

"I'm afraid that will never happen, Lupin," Mamou said with an evil grin.

Lupin watched as Mamou turned and walked back to the time machine.

With a bright flash he was gone, leaving Lupin and Jigen alone once again.

* * *

I never got the bright flash of light thing, but it's burned into my mind now. I would think if you traveled through time you'd just sort of appear there and freak everyone around you out. Maybe Mamou's machine is special and flashy.


	8. Chapter 8

I went through a list of French names and picked out one I thought was odd. No idea how to pronounce it, although with my limited knowledge of French I think the way I say it is correct. But I could be wrong. And Ranolo does not belong to me. I wish it did, as it's awesome, but sadly it does not.

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

"And you're sure this isn't a trick?" Fujiko stared at Lupin in concern as she sat next to him on the couch in the den.

It had been almost five hours since the encounter with Mamou and Lupin hadn't had a seconds worth of sleep.

Lupin had tried to pry some information out of Jigen when Mamou had left, but Jigen refused to talk about anything.

They both got into the car and made the trip back to the house, Jigen asking about a room and Lupin showing him to one of the spare bedrooms, Jigen entering it and closing the door.

Lupin returned to the den and read the newspaper he had received from Mamou. Unable to figure it out he read it again. And again. And several times after that until he almost had the thing memorized.

Waking up alone in bed, Fujiko worried and got up to find Lupin sitting and staring intently at the paper.

"How can it be?" Lupin wondered. "It's dated almost two years in the future. And it's the same paper and ink and fonts and everything. Why would anyone go to that much trouble to trick me? I'm just a nobody," he muttered as he stared off sadly.

"Lupin, don't say that." Fujiko moved closer to him and began to rub his back with her hand.

"And everything in that paper is right," Lupin said in frustration. "The private memorial was held at my house, which is the same exact house and address as this one. You're mentioned as my partner, like Jigen said you were. He's mentioned in the article and Goemon is mentioned and that cop is mentioned. My parents are dead, I don't have a brother, I never married or had kids..." He sighed and looked over at Fujiko. "It's depressing. And it's just like Jigen said it was."

"But, time travel? That's absurd."

"What if it isn't? Mamou showed up in a machine and left in it. I've thought about all the ways that could be faked, but there's no way it was. There was no where for the machine to go and not enough time to put it somewhere."

"Lupin, don't you think that-"

"No, I don't," he said as his face lit up. "Time travel exists. I mean, think of the possibilities for us if we could somehow get ahold of that machine."

"Really?" she said unhappily as she shoved him away and stood.

"Don't you want to see what happens to us in the future?"

"You mean two years from now?" she scoffed. "When you supposedly die?" She reached down and grabbed the paper, holding it close to his face. "This isn't you, Lupin. And it never will be, okay? You aren't going to be some famous thief and you aren't going to shoot yourself in the head."

Lupin stared at the floor, a determined look on his face. "I want to go to Japan."

"Why?" she asked demandingly.

"I want to find Goemon. And Inspector Zenigata. The paper said he used to head the Lupin case. Maybe Interpol really does have a case on me."

"A case for what? Watching porn and getting high?" She crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes.

"I don't care," Lupin said as he stood. "I want to find them."

"And how are you going to find them? Japan isn't exactly a small place."

"I don't know. I'll use the internet or something. They've got to be easy to find if I have their names."

"Whatever. Just... go and do what you want. You do anyway..."

"Fujiko, wait," Lupin whined as she walked out the door.

Jigen walked towards the den, stepping out of the way as Fujiko stomped by him. "What's with her?" he asked as he stepped into the room.

Lupin shrugged. He sat down on the couch and sighed. "I told her I want to go to Japan to find the others."

"You sure you want to do that?" Jigen asked as he sat down across from Lupin.

"Aren't you curious? I mean, after seeing what I'm like you must be wondering what the others are like, right?"

Jigen shrugged. "I think I'd rather not know, to be honest."

"I guess..."

The two stared off in silence, Lupin finally looking up at Jigen with a serious look. "You really loved her, didn't you?"

Jigen glanced at Lupin for a moment before looking away, refusing to answer.

"I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about."

"What... what happened?"

Jigen took a deep breath and exhaled. "We argued, she drove off, got into an accident, and died. And then... I tried to kill myself."

Lupin stared at him in shock.

"You freaked out and invited me to live with you. And I stupidly said I would." Jigen scoffed and shook his head. "Everyone would have been better off if I had just died."

"Hey, don't say stuff like that. Sure, things didn't turn out great, but how would things have turned out if you died?"

"Like they did when I left? You killing yourself and everyone hating me because of it?"

"Oh..." Lupin stared down at the floor. "They did sort of talk badly about you in that article."

"Yeah," Jigen sighed.

"Things are different here, though. Even after what I know, I don't hate you."

"Give it a couple of days and you will," Jigen muttered.

Lupin grinned. "Nah, that'll never happen. Besides, I-"

"Hey Chubs," a younger man said as he walked into the room. He stopped and stared at Jigen, who stared back at him.

Jigen couldn't believe what he was staring at, the man seeming to be a twin of the Lupin he knew.

"I have a name, you know," Lupin said in annoyance.

"One you don't deserve," the man replied with a smirk. "Who's this guy?"

"My friend Jigen. Jigen, this is my annoying ass brother."

"Hey," Jigen said as he continued staring.

"Sacheverell Ranolo Lupin," the man said as he extended his hand.

"Daisuke Jigen," Jigen said as he shook the man's hand.

"Hate your first name, too, eh?" he asked while glaring at Lupin.

"Not really..." Jigen said in a low voice.

"You wanted something?" Lupin said as he glared back at his brother.

"Dad said he had an envelope for me. You know where it is?"

"No. Why don't you ask him?"

"Don't you think I would if he were here, dipshit?" Sacheverell said as he smacked the back of Lupin's head.

Lupin said nothing as he rubbed the back of his head.

"And does mom know you have some friend staying over? It's bad enough Tits is living here."

"Don't call her that," Lupin growled as he faced his brother.

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it, huh? Touch me and dad'll toss you out on your ass."

Lupin tensed, but gave up and took a step back.

Sacheverell laughed in Lupin's face.

"Hey Sach, lay off," Jigen said.

"What did you call me?" Sacheverell hissed as he turned and glared at Jigen. "My name is Sacheverell Ranolo Lupin."

"And nobody cares," Lupin muttered.

"Says the sponge of the family," Sacheverell scoffed.

"You're one to talk," Fujiko said as she entered the room. She walked up and stood next to Lupin.

"And you have no say in this argument, Tits. So, why don't you and your worthless fiance and his so-called friend pack your bags and go."

"As a matter of fact," Fujiko said while wrapping an arm around Lupin. "We are leaving."

"We are?" Lupin asked.

"We are," Fujiko said while smirking at Sacheverell. "We're going to Japan to find a very talented man. And when we do it'll be your brother the papers will be reporting on and not you."

"Yeah right," Sacheverell scoffed.

"We'll be the greatest group of thieves the world has ever known," Fujiko said smugly.

Lupin and Jigen stared at each other in surprise.

Sacheverell tensed as he became more upset. "I'm telling dad," he said loudly while glaring at Lupin.

Lupin shrugged and watched in amusement as his brother stormed out of the room. He then looked over at Fujiko. "Thanks."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't think I believe anything that I said. I was just saying it to annoy your brother."

"So, we're not going to Japan?"

"You're going to Japan. I'm staying with a friend."

"Oh." Lupin's spirits sunk. The one who should have been supportive of him and his new goals decided to live with a friend rather than the one she would soon be married to.

"Well, I guess we're going to Japan," Jigen said as he walked up to Lupin.

Lupin nodded and stared at Fujiko as she left the room.


	9. Chapter 9

Haha, well, this story quickly evolved into silliness.

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

"I wouldn't worry about it," Jigen said as he and Lupin left the plane and walked into the terminal.

"She's never been this way before, though," Lupin whined.

"She hasn't?" Jigen wondered, Fujiko seeming more like the one he was used to.

Lupin shook his head and sighed. He then looked up at the signs around him and tilted his head slightly. "Do you know where we're going?"

"We're going to rent a car," Jigen answered as he pointed to a sign.

"Oh, good. At least one of us knows what to do around here."

Jigen looked at the sign and then back at Lupin. "You mean you can't read that?"

"Should I be able to?"

"Oh yeah, nevermind," Jigen sighed.

"I've never even been to Japan. Maybe you can show me around." Lupin looked at Jigen with a kid-like smile.

Jigen forced a smile. "Yeah..."

"But first, I'm starving. So, let's grab a car and find a place to eat. But, not a Japanese place. I hate Japanese food." He stuck his tongue out and made a face.

"You actually hate a kind of food?" Jigen was amazed by this.

"I ate sushi once and ended up puking everywhere. I won't touch anything seafood or rice now. Just thinking about it... ugh."

"Okay... So, what do you like?"

"German food," Lupin said as a small trickle of drool formed in the corner of his mouth.

Jigen shrugged and the two headed off to the rent-a-car place.

...

"All you can eat schnitzel Sundays?" Lupin gasped as they passed a German restaurant. "What day is it?"

"Sunday," Jigen sighed, Lupin's hyper mood beginning to wear on him.

"Then what are we waiting for? To the House of Schnitzel!"

Jigen groaned and pulled into the parking lot.

He parked the car and Lupin jumped out, hurrying to the entrance as Jigen lagged behind.

"Ah! Willkommen to the Haus der Schnitzel," a German woman, who was obviously not German nor a woman, greeted Lupin. "We haben ein special today auf all you can eat schnitzel!"

Lupin stopped quickly and stared at the thing wearing a frilly dress in front of him, reaching out slowly and poking it's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" the man asked as his womanly German act quickly disappeared.

"What are you doing?" Lupin wondered as he pulled his hand back. "Japan is weird..."

Jigen, who was standing behind Lupin, sighed. "He's doing his job, Lupin. Come on."

"Haha! And I thought I was pathetic," Lupin said, greatly amused by the man and his job.

The man stepped in front of the two as they attempted to enter the building. "And what would a stupid foreigner like you know about Japan?"

"I know that in France men don't wear dresses and act like women," Lupin said as he glared at the man. "Well, not for minimum wage, anyway."

"And so you think that makes you better?" the man asked as he whipped off his braided blond wig and hit Lupin with it.

"Oh my god," Jigen muttered.

Lupin looked back at Jigen, who stared at the man with a sickened look on his face. "Jigen?"

"Oh my god! This is why I didn't want to go any further!" He stared at Lupin while pointing at the man.

"What do you mean?" Lupin wondered.

"Him," he yelled, waving his finger at the man, who stood and looked confused. "This is Goemon!"

"Geez, will you keep it down," Goemon said in a loud whisper, his eyes darting around to see if anyone heard. "I don't need this getting back to anyone I know..."

"He's Goemon?" Lupin stared at the man in the beige frills and white lace. "I'm not impressed."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Goemon growled. "And who are you, anyway? How do you even know me?"

"We don't," Jigen said as he grabbed Lupin by the arm and started to drag him inside the restaurant.

"Wait, Jigen, what about his sword?"

"I don't care about that," Jigen said while struggling to pull Lupin along, forgetting this new Lupin was a bit heftier.

"Sword?" Goemon asked with a glare. "Is that some sort of joke about my sexuality?"

Lupin stared at him in confusion.

"I'll have you know," Goemon said while poking Lupin in the chest, "that I am all man. I may do my job in a dress and wig, but it takes a real man to do that."

"Dude, I meant sword as in a weapon. It had nothing to do with your penis." Lupin rolled his eyes at the mans stupidity. "Or your total lack of one," he then muttered under his breath.

"Oh." Goemon stepped back, looking a little foolish. "Well, in any case, I don't have a sword. You must have me confused with someone else."

"Unfortunately, we don't," Jigen sighed. "You're Goemon Ishikawa the 13th, who comes from a long line of samurai warriors."

"Samurai warriors?" Goemon began to laugh. "My family sells cheese and has been for centuries. You know, Ishikawa cheddar? Maybe you've heard of it?"

"He sells cheese, Jigen." Lupin stared with great displeasure at the man. "Cheese!"

"I heard him."

"How am I supposed to become a great thief with this... this cheese peddler?!" Lupin whined.

"If it helps any," Goemon spoke up, "we do sell cheese knives that look like swords in our main stores gift shop."

Lupin and Jigen just stared at him.

"They run about 15,000 yen," Goemon said. "Or you can get one free if you buy a five pound block of cheddar."

"Stop talking," Lupin said loudly. "For the love of god, just shut up about cheese!"

Jigen shoved Lupin away. "So, you don't know anything about a sword."

Goemon stared at him while shaking his head 'no'.

"A sword that can cut anything? Doesn't ring a bell? It was passed down through your family. I think."

"Our cheese swords can cut through any kind of cheese..." Goemon said while staring at Jigen as though the man were insane.

"Oh my god," Jigen muttered while pinching the bridge of his nose. "How could this have turned out so horribly wrong?"

"Wait a second," Goemon said, a thought coming to him. "Did Mitsuru tell you all of that stuff about me?"

"Who is Mitsuru?" Lupin asked while staring in annoyance at Goemon.

"My roommate. He's always pulling these kinds of pranks on people."

"You have a roommate?" Lupin couldn't believe anyone would willingly live with this guy.

"Yeah. At the dorm."

"You go to college?" Jigen asked, not knowing why that little fact surprised him.

"Yeah. Why?"

"No reason," Jigen sighed.

"Oh. Well, Mitsuru is a huge jerk, so I wouldn't feel too bad getting pranked by him. He does this all the time. He's actually the reason I have this job..."

"He tricked you into dressing like a woman?" Lupin asked, the annoyed stare still present on his face.

"No," Goemon said while glaring at Lupin. "I needed the money and this was the only place in walking distance that would hire me."

"How sad," Lupin smirked.

"You see, there's this girl." Goemon stared down and blushed at the thought of her.

"Oh my god..." Jigen groaned.

"And I really like her," Goemon continued, getting more serious and emotional with every word. "And Mitsuru told her all of this stuff about me so she'd be impressed. And the funny thing about it is that she was impressed. And she thinks I'm so cool because I have a scooter, but..."

"You don't own a scooter," Lupin said, stating the painfully obvious dilemma in this sad tale of woe.

"No," Goemon sad sadly. "So, I had to get a job to save up for one. And she keeps asking me for a ride on my scooter, but I have to keep telling her it's in the shop."

"And she's dumb enough to keep buying that lame excuse?" Lupin scoffed.

"She isn't dumb," Goemon shouted. "She's the most beautiful human being on this planet!"

"I'm being punished," Jigen sighed as he sat down on the front step of the restaurant. "Mamou couldn't have just sent me to the past. No, that would have been too simple. He had to send me to bizarro world where down is right and left is backwards."

Lupin and Goemon stared down at him, wondering what his problem was and how it was more serious than theirs.

"Don't be so down, Jigen," Lupin said with a smile. "You still have your girlfriend to meet."

"No," Jigen said as he quickly looked at Lupin. "No! There is no way in hell I'm looking for her. With my luck she'd turn out to be the bearded lady in a traveling freak show."

"Ooh, I went to one of those," Lupin said excitedly. "The famous merman? Pfft, it was just i guy in a costume," he laughed. "And the tiger lady? She was more of a lion than anything! It was the greatest thing ever! Totally worth the twenty francs."

"You aren't helping," Jigen said with a glare.

"Sorry," Lupin shrugged as he sat down next to Jigen. "But, hey. If you're here, but not from here, shouldn't there be another you running around?"

"There was, but I killed him."

"You killed yourself?" Lupin gasped. "That had to be weird."

"How could he have killed himself if he's sitting right there?" Goemon wondered.

Jigen just sighed, not even wanting to get involved in that discussion.

"Jigen came here in a time machine," Lupin said excitedly. "And in his world we all worked together."

"We all sold cheese?" Goemon asked.

"No! Bad Goemon! No cheese!" Lupin scolded. "We stole stuff. Stuff that has nothing to do with cheese!"

"Oh." Goemon sat down next to Lupin, the three staring off.

"And Jigen had the idea to get us all back together so we could be a team again. But... it kind of hasn't worked out," he laughed sheepishly.

"Well, I know nothing about stealing things," Goemon said. "And I have no idea what being a samurai is like or how to use a sword."

"Ooh." Lupin sat up straight as his eyes opened wide. "We still have that cop to find. I wonder what he does?"

Jigen sighed silently. He hated how he was curious, while at the same time just wanting to run away from everything.

Lupin whipped the phone from his pocket and stared at the screen. "What was his name again?"

Jigen glanced over at Lupin, who was much too eager to find the man. "Zenigata," he sighed in defeat. "Koichi Zenigata."

* * *

I had no idea what schnitzel was before writing this chapter. I just liked the word. But now that I know what it is, I'd be all for an all you can eat schnitzel day.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Was I really that... dumb in your world?" Lupin wondered as the three sat at a booth in a filthy rundown diner.

"Huh?" Jigen glanced up at him, broken from thought.

Lupin glanced at Goemon, who was still trying to figure out what to eat. "I killed myself because you left. Was I really that stupid?"

Goemon glanced up at Lupin, confused by the conversation.

"Oh, that," Jigen said, staring down at the table. "I don't know, I guess," he sighed. "It's just that so much went on and..." He looked up as Lupin stared at him. "Yeah, you were stupid."

"Aw, man..." Lupin's dreams of becoming this great thief diminished. "What was Goemon like?"

Jigen shrugged. "Annoying. Temper mental. Weird."

"Haha," Lupin said tauntingly to Goemon. "At least I was just stupid."

Goemon glared at Lupin and flicked a crumpled up straw wrapper at him.

"Knock it off, cheese boy," Lupin growled, threatening the boy with a fork.

"If anyone's a cheese boy it's you, Frenchie."

"Oh, that is it." Lupin stood and grabbed his drink, ready to throw it at Goemon when Jigen spoke up.

"Knock it off," he yelled, Lupin stopping and staring at an irate Jigen. "Sit your ass down before I blow your damn head off!"

Lupin quickly did as he was told, sitting quietly and staring down at the table.

"And you," Jigen said, grabbing the menu from Goemon's hands. "You must have read this fifty times by now! Just fucking pick something!"

Goemon stared down uncomfortably.

Lupin glanced at him with a smirk.

"You know what?" Jigen said as he stood. "I'm not hungry anymore. I'll be out waiting in the car."

"Tch, good job, cheese boy," Lupin muttered as he glared at Goemon.

"Shut up, Frenchie," Goemon replied.

Lupin stuck his tongue out at Goemon and stood, deciding to follow Jigen outside.

Jigen sat behind the wheel, his arms crossed over his chest as glared off in front of him. He glanced over as the passenger door opened. "I thought you were hungry."

Lupin sat down, closed the door and shrugged. "I'll live."

The two were quiet as they stared off.

"You know, this isn't some damn joke," Jigen said in anger. "This is my fucking life."

"I know... Sorry."

Jigen sighed deeply. "Tch, I'm the sorry one."

"Hey, don't be like that. Things will look up. You're stuck here with your new disfunctional friends and together we'll make this work."

"I guess..."

"And this Zenigata guy, maybe he'll be what completes us."

Jigen glanced over at a smiling Lupin. "How can you be so optimistic? I mean, after all of this? Nothing has worked! You aren't you and Goemon definately isn't Goemon and Fujiko may as well be someone completely different."

"You're the same, though," Lupin said with a shrug. "Well, I meant the same for us, since we never knew you to begin with."

"Funny thing is," Jigen said with a serious expression, "I wasn't even this way to begin with."

"Thank god," Lupin said in relief.

Jigen glared at him, his look going unnoticed as Lupin leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes.

"Wake me when Cheese Boy has finished eating," Lupin said through a yawn.

Jigen grunted in response and stared off in front of him.

...

"Are you sure this is the place?" Jigen wondered.

The three had been driving for hours, only to find themselves at a small coastal gathering of trailers and tents.

"My phone only tells me there's one Koichi Zenigata around here and this is where it says he's at," Lupin said as he stared at his phone.

Goemon leaned forward and stared out the front window. "Seems to be a surfing community."

Lupin gasped. "Oh my gosh, Goemon. I never realized that a place with homeless hippies and surfboards everywhere would be anything like that!"

Jigen said nothing, dreading going any further as the car sat still in the parking lot.

A knock on the window startled him slightly.

He glanced to his left and closed his eyes, wanting to sob and end it all right there.

"Hey, bro," the man bending down and looking into the window said.

Jigen rolled down the window, slowly rolling his eyes at the man.

The man had hair down to his shoulders, the first three inches of it bleached blond. He wore a short sleeved shirt that was left unbuttoned and shorts that came to the tops of his knees.

"There's some cranking waves out there, dude, and I need to, like, pull my van in before everything goes flat, bro."

"Hey," Lupin said to the man. "Do you know where we can find Koichi Zenigata?"

"Dude!" The man smiled and pointed a thumb at his chest.

"Dude," Jigen said as he looked over at Lupin with a smile that was trying to hide his disgust.

"Dude, you guys here for the party wave?" Zenigata asked excitedly.

"A what?" Lupin wondered.

"A wave surfed by multiple people," Goemon answered.

"And how do you know this?" Lupin asked, giving him a confused look.

Goemon shrugged. "I thought everyone knew that."

"Dude, that wave was sick," Zenigata said as he stared at one of the large waves that formed. "Bro, I gotta get out there. Grabs your sticks and meet me at the swells!"

And with that, Zenigata was off, his board above his head as he ran with bare feet onto the sand and towards the water.

"I hate everything," Jigen sighed in defeat.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Cowabunga?" Zenigata laughed. "Dude, that's like so old school, bro."

Lupin took a drag of the joint in his fingers and passed it back to Zenigata. "But that's what the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles say all the time. I thought they were surfers, too."

"Dude, those turtles are sick." Zenigata exhaled the smoke he took into his lungs and stared off with glossed over eyes. "I'm like so hungry right now..."

"Yeah," Lupin sighed as he stared off with the same vacant stare. "We should get donuts."

"Donuts are, like, the center of the soul, bro."

Lupin nodded in agreement.

After their meeting with Zenigata the three of them sat inside the car and waited for the man to be done surfing. When he started back to his van, which had long ago been towed for blocking the entryway of the parking lot, Lupin stepped out of the car and invited him to join them for dinner.

Zenigata didn't let Lupin finish before inviting himself into the car.

Jigen stayed quiet on the ride to the restaurant, as well as all during dinner.

Whatever questions he was asked was answered with a low grunt, which seemed to satisfy everyone as they carried on with their conversation.

Jigen was once again just there; once again ignored by his "friends".

Hating how that made him feel he got up and went to the car, rather being alone in silence than alone at a table filled with people.

Not even noticing he was gone, the three piled into the car and went back to the city, finding a cheap motel that the four combined could afford after spending all their money on food and snacks at the corner mart on the way there.

While Lupin, Goemon and Zenigata dove into the snacks and started on the joints that both Lupin and Zenigata had in their possession, Jigen left the room and wandered the streets.

As different as things turned out to be, he found at least some things hadn't changed.

"Hey, Goemon," Lupin said, nudging the passed out man besides him.

Goemon grunted, half waking up.

"Do you have any cheese on you?" Lupin asked.

"Dude, cheese is gnarly." A small smile formed on Zenigata's lips as he thought about cheese.

Goemon mumbled something and went back to sleep.

"This man is like the prince of cheese," Lupin said as he grasped Goemon's shoulder and shook it.

"Sick, bro." Zenigata finished off one joint and lit another, filling his lungs with the magical smoke before handing it to Lupin.

"I bet he could hook us up with some cheddar," Lupin thought out loud.

"Bitchin'" Zenigata said before completely zoning out.

...

Jigen sat at a bar, eyes staring off vacantly while fingers wrapped tightly around a cool glass.

'How is this even possible?' he thought. 'How can everything end up so fucking stupid?'

As much as he wanted, he knew he could never go back to his own world. He also knew he could never make the world he now lived in work.

Nobody was as how he remembered them. And he thought that he could live with it. But then came Zenigata.

'No fucking way in hell can I accept that thing.'

He sighed deeply before finishing off his drink.

"Another?" the bartender asked.

Jigen waved the man off.

As much as he wanted another, he knew that no amount of alcohol could fix his problems.

The only thing that could was an answer. Or at least some sort of clue as to how all of this happened.

...

"Why do you even bother coming when I call for you?" Jigen wondered.

Mamou leaned against a wall and faced Jigen, staring at the man with a blank expression. His only answer was a shrug.

"Nevermind," Jigen sighed. "Look, I just need to know how everyone ended up like this."

Mamou laughed and stared up at the moon. "The long version or the short version?"

"Short?"

"Lupin had a brother."

Jigen was confused. "How would that-"

"Sacheverell was- My god, that name," Mamou groaned. "Well, aside from being so unfortunate to be given that name, he was quickly his fathers favorite son. This caused Lupin to hate his father and everything he and his grandfather stood for. Thus he became a lazy slob. And because his father and brother were such close friends there was no threat to the Ishikawa's prized sword. And so they resumed their hobby of making cheese."

"Goemon never made cheese in my world, though."

"This isn't your world, though, Jigen. They are called alternate timelines for a reason."

"Wait, you never said anything about an alternate timeline," Jigen said in annoyance. "So, this whole time you knew? You knew this would all happen?"

"Calm down," Mamou laughed. "It's more interesting this way. Besides, I didn't know things would be this sad." The thought of how sad it was made Mamou laugh evilly.

"So now what?" Jigen asked in anger. "What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

Mamou, a big grin on his face, shrugged. "That's all up to you."

"I want to go back. Now!"

"Back to what, Jigen?" Mamou scoffed while glaring at the man. "Lupin is dead. Your so-called friends hate you. In fact, they more than hate you. They want you dead! And that's what you want to return to?"

"Stop acting like you care about me!"

"I don't care, Jigen. But you wish to squander this opportunity I gave you to start over?"

"Opportunity?! What the-"

"I gave you the ability to walk! To walk away from this and to go towards something new! Not come running back to me like some pathetic and ungrateful fool!"

Jigen clenched his jaw shut. In a way he hated the man. In another he was thankful. For what, he wasn't sure of. At least not yet. "Fine."

Mamou smirked as Jigen turned and walked away. "Remember, Jigen. I said I'd give you what you wanted in exchange for what I wanted. You held up your end of the deal and I held up mine."

Jigen stopped, turning towards Mamou but only catching the tail end of the bright flash as the man left.

"What I wanted..."

Jigen reached into his pocket and took out his phone. He did a quick search and stared at the screen. He was hesitant, but eventually called the number before him.

* * *

I love when the word "gnarled" is used because then I can nod and say "That's gnarly." The way I wrote the notes for this story this should only have two more chapters left, but since this has become wacky adventures of alternate universe people I will have to draw it out more.


End file.
